Solbam

Verdict

Solbam lands at #55 on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants (2025) and holds a Michelin star, making it one of the most credentialed contemporary Korean tasting menus in Gangnam right now. At ₩₩₩₩ pricing with a wine list that runs deep into the $$$ tier, this is a considered spend — but the level of cooking, the progression of the tasting menu, and the room justify it for anyone who takes Seoul's fine dining scene seriously. Book this if you want a structured, course-by-course argument for modern Korean cuisine. If you want something more casual or a shorter format, look elsewhere.

Portrait

Solbam opened in 2021 on the second floor of a building on Hakdong-ro in Gangnam-gu, and it has moved quickly through the credential stack: Michelin star, Tatler Asia-Pacific Leading Restaurants 2025, La Liste 80 points (2026), and a spot inside the Asia's 50 Best top 60. For a restaurant less than four years old, that trajectory matters — it signals a kitchen operating with consistency, not just an opening surge. Chef-owner Eom Tae-jun runs both the kitchen and the business, and the wine program sits under Wine Director Dong Yeon Ko, with a list of 400 selections across 1,300 inventory units weighted toward France, Italy, Spain, and California.

The evening follows a deliberate two-part structure that is worth understanding before you arrive. You begin in a drawing room , atmospherically lit, separate from the main dining area , where drinks and small snacks establish the pace before the team leads you through to the dining room itself. The main room is described as bright and spacious, with an open kitchen as the visual anchor. That transition is intentional: Solbam is building a narrative arc from arrival to final course, and the drawing room serves as a prologue. If you have been once and skipped the pre-dinner snacks or rushed through the opening stage, slow down on your return visit. The architecture of the experience is front-loaded.

The cooking works from Korea's seasonal larder as its primary material. Documented dishes include snow crab with cauliflower, abalone with bamboo shoots, and Hanwoo with dallae (wild garlic). These are constructions that show technical precision alongside a clear point of view about what Korean ingredients can do within a contemporary tasting format. The service team is described as formal, and presentation carries a theatrical edge , dishes arrive with deliberate staging. For a returning visitor, the wine pairing is the recommended path: the three or seven-glass option gives the sommelier team (Young Gil Choi, Hyeon Bin Park, Hae Chang Lee) the chance to move across the French and Italian core of a genuinely deep cellar. The corkage fee sits at ₩140,000 (approximately $104), which is on the higher side , bring something special if you go that route, otherwise the pairing is the better call.

Timing matters here. Solbam operates Tuesday through Sunday, dinner service only, opening at 5:30 PM and closing at 10:30 PM. Sunday is closed. If you are choosing between a weekday and a weekend visit, a Tuesday or Wednesday booking gives you a quieter room and a service team that is not stretched across back-to-back full houses. The kitchen's focus on seasonal ingredients means the menu shifts with the produce calendar , spring and autumn visits, when Korean mountain vegetables and domestic seafood are at peak availability, will give you the most representative reading of what the kitchen is doing. A late autumn or winter visit emphasises Hanwoo and heartier preparations; a spring booking catches the wild greens that are central to Korean culinary tradition. Neither is wrong, but if you are planning a first return after an initial visit, aim for a different season to see a different argument from the menu.

For a broader picture of Seoul's fine dining options, see our full Seoul restaurants guide. Comparable tasting-menu experiences in the city include Jungsik and Eatanic Garden, both operating at the same price tier. Outside Seoul, Mori in Busan is worth considering if your itinerary extends south. For those exploring Seoul beyond restaurants, our Seoul hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide cover the rest of the city.

Ratings & Recognition

• Michelin 1 Star (2024)
• Asia's 50 Best Restaurants #55 (2025)
• Tatler Leading Restaurants Asia-Pacific 2025
• La Liste Leading Restaurants: 80pts (2026), 79.5pts (2025)
• Opinionated About Dining Asia #277 (2025)
• Google: 4.7 / 5 (70 reviews)

Booking

Booking difficulty is rated Near Impossible at current demand levels. Solbam's position in Asia's 50 Best top 60 means reservation pressure is high and growing. Plan a minimum of four to six weeks out, and treat any availability inside two weeks as a cancellation windfall rather than standard access. The restaurant operates dinner only, six nights a week (closed Sunday), which limits the total weekly covers. There is no walk-in culture at this level of Seoul fine dining. Confirmation of booking method is not available in our current data , check the official website at restaurantsolbam.com or use a Seoul-based concierge service if direct booking proves difficult. Phone: +82 70-4405-7788.

Practical Details

Solbam is located at 2F, 231 Hakdong-ro, Gangnam-gu , on the second floor, so confirm the entrance before arrival. For other nearby options in the neighbourhood, 권숙수 , Kwon Sook Soo is another Gangnam-gu tasting menu worth knowing. Further afield in South Korea, Double T Dining in Gangneung and Pool House in Incheon offer different reference points if you are touring the country. For comparable contemporary tasting menus internationally, Alo in Toronto and César in New York City operate in a similar structural register.

FAQ

• What should I wear to Solbam? Smart dress is expected. The service team is described as formal, and the room runs at a fine dining register consistent with Michelin-starred venues in Seoul. Business smart or dressy-casual reads correctly here; trainers and casual streetwear would be out of place.
• Does Solbam handle dietary restrictions? No specific dietary accommodation policy is confirmed in our data. Given the tasting menu format and the level of the kitchen, contact the restaurant directly before your booking , phone +82 70-4405-7788 , to discuss restrictions. Do not assume flexibility on the night without advance notice.
• Is lunch or dinner better at Solbam? Dinner is your only option. Solbam operates dinner service only, 5:30 PM to 10:30 PM, Tuesday through Saturday. There is no lunch service. Plan your evening accordingly, including transport back , Gangnam has reliable late-night taxi availability.
• Is Solbam good for solo dining? Yes, with a caveat. The tasting menu format and open kitchen setup make solo dining workable at this level of Seoul fine dining, and the formal service team is attentive enough to keep the experience from feeling awkward. The ₩₩₩₩ price point is a real consideration for a solo spend, but if you are serious about contemporary Korean cuisine, it is one of the strongest single-seat arguments in the city. Compare with Exquisine or Restaurant Allen if you want a slightly different solo format.
• Is the tasting menu worth it at Solbam? Yes, for the right diner. Michelin star, Asia's 50 Best #55, La Liste 80 points , the credential set is real, and the cooking backs it up with seasonal Korean ingredients handled at a high technical level. The wine pairing (three or seven glasses) adds meaningful cost but is worth it given the depth of the cellar. If you are comparing value against Jungsik (two Michelin stars), Solbam currently offers a more intimate room and a tighter seasonal focus at the same price tier.
• Is Solbam good for a special occasion? Yes. The two-part evening structure , drawing room first, then the main dining room , is well suited to celebration dinners. The formal service and theatrical presentation give the meal a sense of occasion without being overwrought. Book a weeknight if you want a quieter room; weekend tables fill with larger groups and the energy shifts accordingly.
• What should I order at Solbam? The format is a set tasting menu, so ordering choices centre on the wine pairing. Take the seven-glass pairing over the three-glass if the budget allows , Wine Director Dong Yeon Ko has built a 400-selection list with 1,300 bottles in inventory, and the longer pairing gives fuller coverage of what the cellar can do alongside dishes like Hanwoo with dallae or abalone with bamboo shoots. For the food, the kitchen decides the menu; your job is to flag restrictions in advance and let the sequence run.
• How far ahead should I book Solbam? Four to six weeks minimum under normal conditions. With Asia's 50 Best #55 status driving international reservation pressure, treat anything inside four weeks as a cancellation. Book as early as possible for weekend dates and for peak travel periods (spring cherry blossom and autumn foliage seasons see high inbound visitor volume to Seoul). Use the restaurant's direct line (+82 70-4405-7788) or a hotel concierge in Gangnam if the online booking system shows no availability.